FSU men win NCAA track and field championship

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Walter Dix put on quite a show in what might have been his farewell to college track.

The Florida State junior completed a triumphant week at the NCAA track and field championships by repeating as 200-meter champion and leading the Seminoles to their second consecutive title.

The Arizona State women rebounded from a disappointing start to the meet to win their first outdoor championship.

Dix won three events -- the 100, 200 and 400-meter relay -- the first man to accomplish that since John Carlos for San Jose State in 1969.

The 100-200 double meant the most to the Seminole junior.

"It's something I've been working toward since my freshman year," Dix said. "Now that goal's out of the way I still have the 100-meter record to get."

Dix was noncommittal about whether he'd return for his senior year of eligibility or turn pro.

"We'll see," he said.

FSU coach Bob Braman sounded as if he expected Dix to leave.

"Could you blame him?" Braman said. "He's done everything he needs to do. It's up to him, completely up to him. I've got to find some records for him to chase. It's the only reason he'd come back."

Dix eased to victory in the 200 in 20.32 seconds, well off the collegiate record and world-leading 19.69 he ran two weeks ago at the East Regional. With his 9.93 in the 100 on Friday, Dix holds the world's best times in both events.

"This is huge," Braman said of winning two titles in a row. "It's so hard to do. Kids are going pro, kids are graduating, kids get hurt. We had a lot of injuries this year, and we were lucky enough to survive."

Lopez Lomong of Northern Arizona, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" who spent 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to the United States in 2001, won the 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 37.07 seconds. He passed Leonel Manzano of Texas down the stretch, then raised his fist in triumph after crossing the tape and bowed to the crowd from the victory stand. Manzano was second in 3:37.48.

LSU finished second in the men's and women's team races.

Florida State won with only six men entered, all but one in the sprints. The Seminoles had 54 points to LSU's 38. Auburn was third with 34 and Tennessee fourth with 30.

Arizona State, reigning NCAA Indoor champions, wrapped up the title with a 1-3 finish in the shot put.

"There have only been three schools to win indoors and out," Sun Devils coach Greg Kraft said. "LSU and Texas are storied programs. For us to be mentioned in the same breath as them is huge. It really does add credibility to what we're doing."

Jessica Pressley won the shot with a throw of 59 feet, inch. Teammate Sarah Stevens was third at 57-1. Their strong finish made amends for their failure to qualify for the finals in the discus on Wednesday.

"Amazing," Pressley said. "I knew what I had to do and went out and did it."

The Sun Devils had 60 points to LSU's 53. Michigan was third with 36 and Texas A&M fourth with 34.

"I think it lets people know we're for real," Pressley said. "It's not just a lucky thing that we won indoors. We have the manpower -- or womanpower -- to do what we need to do. I think it's awesome."

Florida State picked up another 10 points in the 400 when Ricardo Chambers leaned into the tape to edge Lionel Larry of USC by .02 seconds. The two raced side-by-side down the stretch, with Chambers winning in 44.66 to Larry's 44.68.

South Carolina junior Nastasha Hastings bettered her world-leading time to 50.15 seconds while running away with the 400-meter title.

She was just .05 seconds off Monique Henderson's collegiate record.

In another of the day's best races, Alysia Johnson of California barely held off Michigan's Katie Erdman to win the 800 meters in 1:59.21. Erdman was second at 1:59.35. They were the second- and third-fastest collegiate times ever in the event. They rank fifth and sixth in the world this year.

Andrew Ellerton of Michigan used a late kick to win the men's 800 in 1:47.48. Elias Koech of UTEP led most of the way and finished second in 1:47.70. Defending champion Ryan Brown of Cal was third at 1:47.77.

Baylor, anchored by sophomore Quentin Summers, won the men's 1,600-meter relay in 3:00.4, the third-fastest time ever by a college team. LSU defended its 1,600 relay title at 3:28.07.

Kerron Stewart of Auburn won the women's 200 in 22.42.

The 17 events on the final day of the meet were condensed into two hours to accommodate a national telecast by CBS.

The NCAA meet ended a three-run at Sacramento State, which also hosted the past two Olympic Trials. Next year's NCAA championships will be in Des Moines, Iowa, and the 2008 Olympic Trials are set for Eugene, Ore.